IPN Joins NASA Mission to the Stratosphere

• The EMIDSS-7 module launched today at 7:30 a.m. (Mexico City time) from the Fort Sumner base in New Mexico, United States

• In addition to recording environmental variables, the mission carries the microalga spirulina to assess whether, under near-space conditions, it could serve as a food source for astronauts

At exactly 7:30 a.m., from the Fort Sumner base in New Mexico, United States, the EMIDSS-7 (Experimental Module for the Iterative Design of Satellite Subsystems, version 7) mission ascended to the stratosphere with the participation of the Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and other partner institutions.

According to initial reports, the payload reached an altitude of 37.24 kilometers and is expected to land with the collected data in the coming hours.

The launch is part of NASA’s FY25-FTS Fall Campaign under the Scientific Balloon Program (CSBF), with the EMIDSS-7 suborbital module onboard the Salter Test Flight STF#752N platform.

The mission brought together researchers from IPN’s Aerospace Development Center (CDA), the Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology (ICAT) at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), and the Western Institute of Technology and Higher Education (ITESO), with support from the Mexican Space Agency (AEM).

Dr. Mario Alberto Mendoza Bárcenas, IPN researcher and project leader, explained that two 1U CubeSat satellites, “TEPEU-1,” were installed to automatically record environmental variables (including the internal temperature of the electronic equipment, near-space air temperature, barometric pressure, humidity, and ultraviolet radiation), as well as Earth’s magnetic field, along with image capture supported by two cameras placed inside and outside the module.

The mission aligns with the objectives set by President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo and the guidelines outlined by the Secretary of Public Education (SEP), Mario Delgado Carrillo.

The CDA researcher also highlighted the first-time participation of the Interdisciplinary Professional Unit of Engineering, Zacatecas campus (UPIIZ), with a project designed by faculty and students called “Tecuitlatl.” The experiment utilizes a mini photobioreactor (miniFBR) to cultivate and observe the behavior of the microalga Spirulina under near-space conditions.

This research could provide an alternative food source for astronauts, who in space experience various health challenges, including impairments to the immune, nervous, and circulatory systems, as well as nutritional deficiencies.

The ESIME Zacatenco professor added that the payload weighed approximately 31.8 kilograms and was carried by a sounding balloon with a capacity of 11 million cubic feet of helium (11MCF). The total weight of STF#752N—including additional experiments from public and private institutions—was 280 kilograms.

Mendoza Bárcenas noted that the mission included participation from IPN’s Interdisciplinary Professional Units in Zacatecas and Hidalgo, the Interdisciplinary Professional Unit of Advanced Technologies (UPIITA), the School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering (ESIME), Zacatenco campus, the Research Center for Applied Science and Advanced Technology (CICATA), Altamira unit, and the Center for Scientific and Technological Studies (CECyT) No. 19 “Leona Vicario.”

For more information, visit www.ipn.mx.